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WA Livestock Disease Outlook - for vets

Calling a vet to investigate diseases protects markets

The WA Livestock Disease Outlook provides information about recent livestock disease cases in Western Australia and diseases likely to occur in the next month. Calling a vet to investigate diseases when they occur provides surveillance evidence to our markets that we are free of reportable and trade-sensitive diseases.

Recent livestock disease cases in WA

Deaths in cattle fed vegetable scraps

In a mob of 18, one-year-old cattle, seven died and six were affected with dyspnoea and abdominal breathing. The cattle appeared anaemic and were being fed a variety of vegetable scraps (including sweet potatoes), wheat stubble, hay and pellets.

Histopathology showed a severe, diffuse, subacute interstitial pneumonia with emphysema. A diagnosis was made of toxic interstitial pneumonia likely due to ingestion of mouldy sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes can be colonised by a fungus which causes production of the toxin 4-ipomeanol.

Paddock management strategies to reduce the risk of ARGT in livestock include hay testing prior to feeding out, managing grazing of the paddock to remove seed-heads before they become toxic, controlling the ryegrass or sowing a safe ryegrass variety. Read more on these control strategies.